


One Last Year

by Beibiter



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-29 15:30:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14475681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beibiter/pseuds/Beibiter
Summary: In your last year of high school, despite all the hardcore studying, there's fun. You have your friends, your dreams and your parents who are always right behind you. But of course, there's drama, too. [You x NCT, highschool AU]





	1. Chapter 1

After school, you leave the building just to notice that is has started to rain. A light summer drizzle is making girls squeak and cover their heads with their bags and teachers are getting out their black umbrellas so they are sheltered on the way to their cars that are parked in the parking lot not too far away.

That's when he sees you. Instead of running around like the other students who are annoyed by the sudden rain, you are standing there calmly. Your long hair is in a loose ponytail while you're staring at the scene in front of you. It looks so serene, so picturesque. Without wanting to, he finds himself shuffling, rummaging through his back to get out his most prized possession, the old camera he is always carrying around. Rain is dampening his hair, but he doesn't notice, doesn't care, doesn't realize what is happening until he turns back and you are gone.

Gone.

He spins around and sees the back of your head. You're jogging to the parking lot, through the mass of students until you get lost in the blurry sea of open umbrellas.

*

You grin when you see Lucas sitting in front of the steering wheel, his eyes focused on whatever mobile game he's playing. You open the door and hop into the car.

"Hey."

Lucas greets you with a funny face and then puts his phone away to turn the engine back on. You put on your seat belt and feel your hair to see how wet it has gotten during the short sprint while he shifts into another gear.

Lucas is... your friend. Someone you can rely on. Although he likes to joke around a lot and doesn't care much about respect and formalities, you still trust him a lot. Because you were taking a few senior classes, you met him and somehow became friends. After graduation, he started working but you still stayed in contact. Miraculously enough.

"How was school?", he asks.

"Ok", you hum. "But I got a lot of homework." You frown a little thinking about the amount of pages you have to write for your English class, not to mention the math homework.

Lucas throws you a quick smile, knowing that despite your worry, you will do well. He has always been impressed by your will to study, the innate ambition you seemed to harbor and the determination. He could barely finish a book without falling asleep halfway in between.

"Jaehyun has a party this Saturday", he mentions absent-mindedly. "Do you want to come?"

You shift a little in your seat, remembering the good-looking senior every girl seemed to like. He was very popular due to his handsome looks and it didn't help that he had a warm personality. You remember him sincerely doing his best in a group project you were paired for.

"Why not. But does he want me there? I haven't spoken to him in a long time."

"I always talk about you", Lucas says, making an exaggerated wink. "So, yeah. He wants to see you again."

*

Renjun sits up when he hears the knock. He turns to Haechan, giving his friend a questioning look, but Haechan just shrugs. He doesn't know either who it could be to disturb the quiet peace of the photography club.

The door opens and the first thing he sees is your face. Red exploded on his cheeks and he coughs a little confronted with the sight of your bright eyes.

"Hey." You close the door behind you as you come in, smiling sheepishly at the three boys. Since you are the vice president of the journalism club, you have met them a few times. There's Renjun, the Chinese national, with dark hair and round eyes who seems very shy. Then there's Haechan. His hair is the color of flaming copper and he often has sarcastic or snide remarks reserved for people. Finally, there's Jisung, the youngest of them, an underclassman who resembles a mouse with his upturned nose and dyed blond hair.

"I'm here to pick up the photos", you say quickly, having thought about the unique characteristics of the three boys for too long. "Since Mark is sick."

"Oh, Mark is sick?", Jisung repeats, his eyebrows drawn together, while Renjun quickly jumps up to get the envelope with the photos they had taken at the football game. While you and Jisung make small talk, he takes one last look at the pictures. They had taken quiet a few ones showing the new captain Jaemin, who had replaced Johnny Seo, the recent graduate originally from Chicago.

Seeing the confident pose Jaemin struck, Renjun had felt quiet small, but he focused on getting the right exposure and then took picture after picture. That was the job required of him as a photography club member after all, but he couldn't help but wonder. Wonder what you thought. Thought about guys like Jaemin who had confidence and popularity and didn't freeze in front of girls.

Renjun shakes his head and puts the pictures back into the envelope. He discreetly pushes it to Haechan and then sits down again, trying to stare at the wall behind you.

"So, the deal for the summer formal is still on, right?", you suddenly ask, wanting to make sure. Haechan rolls his eyes at you words, handing you the manila envelope.

"Nope", he says, popping the 'p', quite enjoying the look of shock you have for a second. "We suddenly decided to disband this club." When you tilt your head, looking at him so gullibly, he shakes his head. "That was sarcasm", he adds and your expression relaxes.

Jisung waves his hand. "Just ignore him", he whispers. "He got scolded by Mr. Kim today." He smiles, showing his teeth, so you smile back.

At the sight of your bashful grin, Renjun can't help his heart beating in his chest, blushing even harder than before. He buries his head in his arms before Haechan can pick up on his misery.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas has always been fond of you. How could he not? You’re intelligent, witty and pleasant to be around. Back then, you didn't snicker behind his back because of the obvious accent he has, and the problems he still has with the language. Instead, you treated him warmly.

 

He shakes his head as he looks at his phone, the background a picture of you two. You’re both smiling and you are leaning your head against his shoulder. He can still remember the moment, recall every single second.

 

*

 

It hasn’t been long since Jaemin became captain of the school’s soccer team. He was second before, but now it is an entirely new responsibility. 

He likes it. 

Jaemin rubs his hair with a towel and then sits down on the bench. He is the last player in the room, having stayed for some extra exercise. Since he’s hoping to get a sports scholarship, he spends most of his free time on the field.

Just as he is about to get out his clothes, his phone rings. He takes it out of his bag, looking at the caller id. It’s Jaehyun, a senior who frequents the same circles as him. They’re not really friends, not close enough to be called that anyways, but Jaemin likes him.

He picks up the call.

”Hey Jaemin”, Jaehyun greets from the other side of the line. “What’s up?” 

“Hey Jaehyun”, he answers, holding the phone a bit away from his still damp hair.

”I’m actually calling you to congratulate you", Jaehyun says from the other side of the line. "I heard you made it to team captain. Congrats!”

Jaemin can’t help the proud smile appearing on his face as he thanks the older boy. “Yeah, I did. Thank you.”

”Anyways, I’m having a party this Saturday and I want you to come. If you've got time that is.”

”Sounds good.”

”Ok.” Jaehyun lets out a breath. “I’ll text you the details.”

*

Haechan’s expression darkens as he sees the journalism club’s two presidents a few steps away. You are standing in front of your locker, while Mark Lee is leaning next to it, trying to look suave. Emphasis on trying.

It is painfully obvious to everyone, Haechan included, that Mark Lee likes you. He is practically the embodiment of the heart eyes emoji when he’s looking at you. Haechan doesn’t know whether it’s pitiful or just plain stupid how Mark’s eyes stay locked on your face, absorbing every single of your words like everything you're saying is some sort of divine revelation. It that help that you seem to be painfully dense, always seeming to ignore Mark's advances.

”You’re standing in front of my locker”, Haechan says, giving Mark a dark look. The younger boy sees you throwing your locker shut just a Mark is about to bristle like some kind of blow fish. 

But before the president can say anything, you lightly touch his arm, giving Haechan a short glance. “Good that we were just about to leave then", you quickly say, smiling politely.

Haechan stares down at your fingers, the hand that is touching Mark and feels himself getting annoyed.

”Yeah, that’s good", he lets out dryly, looking away to open his locker.

You disappear into the hallway, getting lost in the throng of students while dragging a huffing Mark behind you.

Haechan stares after you until your head disappears in the crowd and then leans his head against the cold metal of his locker. “Am I going crazy?”, he whispers to himself, hitting his cheek with one hand.

*

”Senior”, Jisung greets warmly and you smile at him, immediately comforted by the presence of the cute boy.

”How many times do I have to tell you? Just use my name.” You get out your textbook and pencil case, rambling on about how you dont care about formalities while Jisung stays seated, already prepared for the lesson. “It’s not like we’re that far apart in age", you finish, throwing him a glance.

Despite you insisting that he drop the formalities, Jisung still treats you respectfully as if you weren't one, but twenty years older than him. It makes you feel like an old lady. This year, he is taking advanced mathematics together with the other seniors and when you met him on the first day of class, it was kind of strange. You were too used to seeing him in the photography club, sitting behind a computer with his big glasses on that actually having him sit next to you felt weird.

”Thanks for the photos again", you say. "Mark and I looked at them today and they are all very good.”

Jisung blushes a little at your compliment. “It’s mostly Renjun and Haechan”, he admits, not surprised that you like them. Even Jisung himself noticed that the two seem to have an eye for it. For taking good photos. While Renjun’s pictures are always simple but very expressive, Haechan’s include lots of details and tend to get more technical. Because Jisung is doing the editing, Haechan sometimes wishes for small changes, going on and on until he is satisfied. Lowering the exposure, cropping the picture, touching up the color and he only stops when he is really one hundred percent satisfied.

”Nonsense”, you counter quickly but with a friendly voice, nudging his shoulder in a friendly way. “I know that you do the editing. A picture without editing is like a cake without icing. It’s only through your work that the pictures turn into masterpieces.” You grin a little at him and Jisung finds himself speechless at your words, feeling his cheeks getting even warmer. Although you usually speak in a quiet voice, you had gotten a bit louder while defending him and it surprised him that you felt this way.

But it made him feel good.

 

*

 

When Renjun sees you the next time, you are sitting in the cafeteria, eating your meal while playing on your phone. For a second, he considers claiming the seat next to you, the table is empty, but as soon as he thinks about this ridiculous idea, he presses his eyes shut and lines up for food instead. It's not like you two are actually friends.

After getting his meal, he scans the cafeteria and then spots another empty table. Since neither Haechan nor Jisung have afternoon classes, he is on his own today.

That’s when you look up. Your eyes meet and Renjun freezes when he sees the bright brown color. The color of the eyes he finds himself staring at quite so often. You are beaming at him with a sweet smile and then quickly glance around to realize that Renjun, just like you, is alone. You wave him closer with a friendly smile and he is taken aback by it for a second, almost tripping over his own feet.

”Sit down”, you offer politely. “I’m feeling very lonely today. Sicheng is busy with soccer and Mark has already finished class.” You pout a little and Renjun straightens up at the mention of your friends, remembering the good-looking Chinese star striker. Not that he could compete with that guy. Not in a million years. But still, and not knowing why or how, he manages to sit down in the seat across from you.


	3. Chapter 3

On Friday, you walk to school with a tired expression, stopping every few minutes to suppress a yawn. You had stayed up late again to work on your homework, despite the academic year just starting. Before becoming a senior, you had known that your stress would probably increase tenfold, but actually experiencing it was another thing.

You're halfway there when you see Sicheng waiting for you at a corner. He is the striker of the soccer team, very handsome with dark eyebrows and an angular nose. Since he always scores goals that would eventually lead to your team winning, he's also been nicknamed 'Winwin'. You noticed that he doesn't really seem to like the name, so you stick to his given one, calling him Sicheng apart from when you want to tease him.

You smile at him and he smiles back, his pink lips curling up. After greeting him, he wordlessly takes your bag from you. At this point, you don't really protest anymore. Since Sicheng is really close to his mother, a real mama's boy, you feel like he takes too much care of you.

"I don't really know why you don't just take the car", you say, walking beside him casually. Sicheng had gotten his driver's license just a few weeks ago, but despite having a car, he still waited for you at the same place every morning.

The boy blushes a bit at your comment, keeping quiet for a second, before letting the real reason slip. "It's because you insist on walking", he mutters with his hoarse voice, a bit embarrassed because of his confession.

"What?", you ask, nudging his shoulder lightly. "Winwin, I feel honoured." You jokingly place your hand on your chest, acting touched. He cringes at your teasing and picks up his pace, walking a bit quicker than usual. You break out into a grin and jog to follow him, not noticing the way his face has reddened.

*

The meeting of the journalism club has started already and you're doodling on the agenda page with a ball point pen while Mark is recounting the goals for this year. Since it is also his last year, a successor is going to be chosen and you smile a little when you see Yerim straightening up in anticipation. The club is actually comprised of just seven people, including you, Mark, Jeno, whom you jokingly call 'chief editor', Yerim, an ambitious junior, and Seulgi, a shy but clever writer, as well as two newbies, one of them a junior, the other a freshman.

"For the next one, I've been thinking... We still need something big", Mark says and you nod in agreement. You have already written an article, but writing about the annual cake sale usually doesn't garner too much attention within the student population.

Jeno fiddles with his glasses and then takes a sip of water. "What about Jaemin?", he suddenly asks, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. You think back to the boy with the copper hair who had just recently become team captain, remembering the photos taken of him confidently posing after the game with sweaty hair but looking very satisfied.

"We could do an interview with him."

"An interview?", you repeat, a bit surprised but not averse to the idea. It sounds like a good proposal and you certainly know that Jaemin has a lot of fangirls, so you would get a bigger circulation this time, especially considering that the photos of him are also in this edition.

"Yes."

Jeno leans back in his seat and looks at you, letting his words sink in for a moment. "You should do it. Your last piece with the principal was a hit with the students." He was refering to your interview with Mr. Lee, which had ininadvertently led to him loosening up the restrictions on the school's dress code. You prided yourself on the fact that your work had actually changed something.

"He's right", Yerim nodded and then you all turned to Mark. Despite your brainstorming, he was still the president, meaning that he would be able to make the decision. Make the call to do something or not.

He was frowning slightly, but then put on a curt smile. He didn't feel comfortable letting you go to the team captain all by yourself, knowning that despite Jaemin looking all charming and innocent, word was that the younger was also a bit of a playboy when not on the field. Mark had only heard it through the grapevine, but it still made him a bit uncomfortable, knowing all too well that you were, despite your remarkable intelligence, very gullible.

"Ok", he finally says after some consideration, caving in. "But Chenle is coming with you."

You look at the blond rookie writer, a junior that you haven't had the chance to talk to much before, and smile. "Sure."

*

After the meeting, you quickly head to the photography club. Just as you're about to knock, it opens swiftly. You take a step back but end up losing your balance. But before you can fall, a secure hand stabilizes you, grasping onto your arm tightly. You look up to stare right into Haechan's face. He is staring back at you, his eyes sharp and dark.

"Oh", you let out, straightening up quickly. You brush off his hand and then open your mouth. "Sorry, I didn't..." You smile politely.

"Didn't mean to fall so graciously?", Haechan asks, cutting you off while he rolls his eyes. On the inside, he feels his cheeks turning warm. Due to your close proximity before, he was able to catch a whiff of your shampoo, unvoluntarily of course, but the sweet scent of mango and pineapple made blood rush into his cheeks.

"Actually," you change the topic, a bit embarrassed still. "I need you." You stay quiet for a second, before realizing how weird your sentence sounds. You cough and then speak up again, trying to rectify your mistake. "I mean your camera. And you." You bite your lip. "We're going to interview the new soccer captain and we are going to need some pictures." You smile at him. "Are you busy next week?"

Haechan's face darkens at the mention of the popular soccer player and you tilt your head, watching his expression change so suddenly. "Ask Renjun", he abruptly says, his voice tense. "I'm not going to take pictures of this guy again."

You frown at him, confused by his sudden change of mood. Had something happened between him and Jaemin?


End file.
